Second annual Summer Youth Expo in Flint provides opportunities, resources for area children

Anxious children wait in line as a volunteer helps them enter a bounce house at the second annual Priority Children Summer Youth Expo Thursday, May 15.Molly Young | MLive.com

FLINT, MI -- Priority Children aims to help keep kids active as the end of the school year approaches.

A second annual Summer Youth Expo at Riverfront Banquet Center in downtown Flint Thursday evening, May 15, offered all kinds of ideas for keeping kids active, engaged and out of trouble.

Parents and children through college-age attended the expo as a means to find free and low-cost summer youth programs from 60 area organizations.

"Schools during the academic year offer a structured environment for children. However, in the summer there's not always as much for kids to do," said Crystal Pepperdine, manager of development and communications for Priority Children. "We want to create a one-stop shop for parents by bringing all of these organizations that offer summer programs to one location so children are provided with activities that will keep them active, engaged and safe during the summer."

Last year's expo, which had about 550 attendees, was kick-started by U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, who approached Priority Children with the idea and asked them to organize the event.

"I was really hopeful that we could find a way to connect kids in our community to the opportunities they have, especially during the summer," Kildee said of his motivation for the program. "Young people have lots of energy and they need a place to channel their energy. My concern is unless we find positive ways for them to do that, they might find ways that take them down the wrong path."

Last year, a one-time grant funded the successful expo, but Kildee and Priority Children knew it was still important for families to connect with available resources for children, so the group secured funding through sponsorships.

"These experiences that these kids will have over the summer could change their lives," Kildee said. "It could literally change the trajectory of their lives. It could keep somebody from making a bad choice."

Attendees of Priority Children's Summer Youth Expo in Flint exchange information with vendors on summer youth programs in Genesee County Thursday, May 15.Molly Young | MLive.com

One woman, Cortney Liggins of Flint, said having four children ages 2 through 12 who each have their own interests can get hectic and time-consuming without expos like Priority Children Summer Youth Expo.

"My kids are interested in a lot of things, and they're all into different things, so it's the best way to find information on a bunch of summer programs all at once," Liggins said. "I don't have to spend a bunch of time calling around."

Liggins said she attended the event last year, and was not only able to place her children in summer programs, but also learned about TeenQuest and was able to persuade some teens who attend her church to enroll in the free, after-school, job-training program.

Priority Children plans to host the same, or hopefully larger, event next year.

"We would like to continue to (add vendors) as space allows," Pepperdine said. "But what we really want to do is get as many families here as possible. What is important to us is to reach every child in Genesee County to let them know that this opportunity is available."